2
Kagome ran through her katas, her feet sliding around the ground in her spare tabi. So'unga whistled through the air as she tried to grow her skills back. She mindlessly did the movements, but found her mind wandering. Inuyasha seemed to think she was interesting, and he was waiting for her to hand over the jewel. She made a slight face at that before finishing her katas and taking a deep breath.
"If you want to join that's all you have to say," Kagome informed Inuyasha, "I have a spare bokken for you to use."
"Feh! What could a human teach me?" Inuyasha questioned, his tone caused her eyes to narrow.
"Proper stances? A good foundation to fight with?" Kagome stated before tilting her head, "I could make you a list."
Inuyasha seemed annoyed by that, yet slightly amused. Kagome knew what she was doing. She had met people like him before that felt as though the world was against them. Granted, he was a half demon so the world most likely was. He jumped down from the tree he had been perched in and she reached into her kendo bag, handing him the spare bokken.
"I'll teach you the most common stance for swords, it's called the chūdan-no-kame," Kagome stated slowly slipping into the stance to show him what it looked like, "it lets you keep a defensive posture yet still ready to attack."
Inuyasha slowly moved into the stance, and she stepped out of hers to slightly nudge him into place. Once she fixed his arms she nodded in confirmation. She had respect for Inuyasha, he took instructions from a woman with little to no problem. How strange to find equality from the oddest person.
"You also have the Shikake-Waza which you use when your opponent makes an opening or you make a big enough strike to follow up with a smaller one," Kagome continued, "I'll move you through the katas for them, they are tobikomi-waza, hikibana-waza, katsugi-waza, nidan-waza, Harai-waza, and debana-waza. There's more to this style of fighting but today I'll show you the offensive, whenever you want to practice just ask and I'll lend you a bokken."
Inuyasha was silent as she led him through the strikes. He took to those with ease, and she knew that he'd struggle with the defensive moves. He finished and she allowed him to keep practicing so he could truly understand how to use them. To memorize them. She sheathed the So'unga and fixed her uniform. The kendo uniform was met with less stares than her school uniform. The black hakama and blue Keikogi blended in fairly well. The tabi were something she wore outside while at practice, so she didn't have to wear her leather school shoes. She picked up her bag as he continued to practice his movements were nearly perfect, but his stance suffered until he fixed it himself.
"He accepted your help?" Kaede asked in surprise as she watched the half demon go through the stances.
"He's smart," Kagome stated as she sat at the front of the hut door, "if someone can teach you something helpful then take it, even if you don't like them."
"How fares your wound?" Kaede asked the teen.
"I'm not going to lie and say it doesn't hurt," Kagome answered before sending the woman a small smile, "but it's manageable."
Kaede sent her to walk around the village and learn what she could. Kagome felt as though the old woman wanted her out of her hair. She heard the murmurs, and it caused her skin to crawl. What did she care if they believed her to be the reincarnation of their long-lost priestess? She knew that wasn't completely false, but it wasn't entirely sure. Kagome's soul was one that had lived multiple lives and had centuries of memories. The current memories belonged to a woman from a different timeline of sorts. A gift from the Kami? Or perhaps a curse if Kagome really thought about it. It was a curse to remember, but there was nothing she could do about it. She blinked as food was pushed into her arms. They really did see her as Kikyo and not as herself. She accepted the food with grace before hurrying to find Inuyasha. She plucked a persimmon out of her bundle of food and hurled it towards the white-haired teen.
"Incoming!" She warned him.
It seems he didn't need the heads-up. He caught the persimmon and gave it a curious look before sending her a glare. She motioned towards the rest of the food, raising a brow.
"Offerings from the villagers, I can't eat it all and Kade might want to dry done out to use," Kagome informed him, "thought you might want some."
"Why are you so weird?" Inuyasha asked as they ate lunch together.
"Am I weird?" She muttered before shrugging, "I suppose it's just a difference of culture and upraising, my mama told me to treat everyone the same, so I try to."
Inuyasha frowned at that and held up a daikon in thought. He wasn't buying her words, she just had to be hiding something. She bit into one of the pears in her hands and closed her eyes in thought. He wouldn't buy her innocent act.
"What are you plotting, bitch?" Inuyasha questioned as she was about to take another bite out of her pear.
"I'm going to take the title with grace and hope it's a dog demon thing," She monotoned at him before frowning, "you truly don't like me, do you?"
"You make me retch," Inuyasha confirmed, and he got an amused smile out of the strange girl.
Honestly, her scent was calming. Where Kikyo's rang true with purity it also had a warm tang to it that reminded him of summer. Kagome's scent was akin to water, something that was always changing. He couldn't help but think of a calm river that flowed through the area. She pushed her hair back from her eyes and stared up at the sky.
"At least you're honest about your feelings," She quietly said, "I'd rather someone tell me they hate me to my face then try to figure them out."
"You idiot," Inuyasha scoffed, though he felt the same way.
"Wouldn't it better to be at least civil with one another?" Kagome asked as she finished off her pear.
Inuyasha snorted at that, and Kagome sent him a look before getting up from the ground. She picked up the remaining food, leaving him a few items, and headed back to Kaede's hut. The old woman was surprised by the food, but still accepted it. She plucked out the permissions to dry and had the teenager help her by starting a fire. She appreciated the help of the girl; it showed a good upbringing and healthy respect for her elders.
Time moved quickly, and Kagome was oddly surprised when it was time to sleep. She laid on the wood floor and stared up at the ceiling. Kaede had lent her a spare cover, but it was too heavy for the time of year they were in. Still, she wouldn't complain. It was kind of the old woman to even give her a place to stay while in the feudal era. She ran a hand through her grimy hair and let her palm rest against her forehead. Something was going to change; she could feel it in the air. She felt something on the edge of her senses and quietly sat up. She grasped the So'unga and quietly unsheathed its blade. She stepped outside the hut and easily located what she had been sensing. A crow with three eyes and fangs was glaring at the hut and she dangerously narrowed her eyes, preparing to use So'unga.
"My lady?" Saya questioned as he felt his master's energy rise, "Oh, a corpse crow. I would be careful around such creatures; you never know what they might do."
"Right, thank you, Saya," Kagome softly thanked before watching the crow fly away, "still…something's on the edge of my senses and I don't like it."
"Perhaps you can journey back to the well again, you might be able to return home that way?" Saya suggested and she gave him a soft smile.
She nodded her head and sheathed her sword before heading back into the hut. Her sleep was horrible, strange nightmares and odd figures plagued them. She woke up feeling as though she hadn't gotten any rest. Still, she went about her day.
"I'm going to investigate the well today," Kagome informed Kaede, "I won't be long, I just want to see if there's a connection between my time and yours."
"What will you do if there is one?" Kaede asked and she watched a thoughtful frown appear on the girl's face.
"I fear that the decision will be taken out of my hands," Kagome cryptically answered before heading out of the hut.
"Be weary of those that search for the jewel!" Kaede called and she got a sound of acknowledgment out of the teen.
Kagome welcomed the familiar feeling of the forest around her. The quiet truly was like nothing she had ever experienced before. All she had ever known was the sounds of the city. She closed her eyes as she traveled further into the forest, the long grass gently caressing her legs as she walked through it. She opened her eyes as she came across the well. It stood there, inconspicuously. Yet, she sensed something from it. Her whole body grew cold as she continued to gaze at it. Why was it, that the well seemed to be warning her away from it? She turned on her heel as the leaves behind her rustled. So'unga came out and she looked around with narrowed eyes. Five? No, there were three people surrounding her. She moved swiftly, a few quick steps allowed her to reach the first person and swipe at them with the sword. So'unga sung its wielder praises as the person she attacked fell, their body thumping to the ground with a wet sound. She had sharpened So'unga a bit too much for it to be that sharp. The man was now in two pieces. She had Darth Mauled him. Saya came out from the sheathe as she partied an attack from an enraged man.
"I believe it would be best to take care of these bandits before they attack the village," Saya stated, and she gave a grunt of agreement before taking the man down with a quick strike.
She quickly moved through the forest and headed towards the dark feeling she sensed. It was what she had sensed the previous night! That corpse crow was doing something horrible, and she didn't like it one bit. She entered a large hut, one that a part of her wondered about. She could use it as a base of operations, or help Kaede make it into one. It was sturdy, and the roof was made out of heavy woods made to last.
"So, who decided to attack me?" She softly asked, and it seemed her tone startled the bandits inside the building.
"She's covered in blood!" One of the men whimpered.
Ah, so that's what was scaring them. She brought a hand up and brushed it against her cheek. Red stained her fingers. She didn't even notice it. Blood had been such a common occurrence in her afterlife that it barely phased her anymore. She placed the tip of So'unga on the floor and readied herself to attack.
"Give me the Jewel," a giant man demanded in a deep monotone.
"No," Kagome refused with a slight twitch of her eyebrow.
The Shikon-no-tama really did bring problems wherever it went. The large man lumbered to his feet, his group of followers doing the same. A large sword came into play, and she readied herself. She shifted her foot forward, So'unga being raised up from where she rested it. She couldn't perform any techniques with her blade, seeing as she wanted to use the building, but she could easily take the man down. She easily parried his attack when he clumsily swung his sword, nearly taking his followers heads off.
"What the hell boss?!" They cried and she spared them a glance.
"Has he always been like this?" She asked as she blocked another attack.
"No, usually he's quite agile," One of them answered as they all began to hide behind her.
Kagome did two steps forward and stabbed So'unga into the large man's chest. Her eyes narrowed and she knew that what she had struck was a hollow cavity. With ease she pulled the sword back out and sheathed it.
"Boss the exit is blocked!" One of the men informed her and she blinked.
"Since when did I become boss?" She questioned.
"You defeated our boss which makes you the new one," The man answered, and she made a face.
"Right, lets see what I can do," She muttered, looking around in thought it wasn't until the barricade was broken by Inuyasha running through it that she felt some relief, "you all go, this village and building is no longer available to you. If I ever see or hear that you've come back there will be consequences."
The men took off at the serious tone of her voice and she rubbed the back of her neck in thought. The big guy was still upright, his armor slowly slipping away from his chest. Inuyasha held a sleeve up to his nose and made an audible gag. She sent him a look of concern before placing a hand on So'unga.
"Inuyasha, you still able to fight?" Kagome asked as the body finally pitched forward.
The black crow from the night before seemed to break through his back. Blood splattered on the ground and she mentally sighed. It was going to take forever to clean everything up. Even distracted she was mostly able to dodge the attack from the crow. Something small, and made of glass, fell to the ground. She turned just in time to see the crow picking up the jewel and swallowing it.
"Let's go," She said to Inuyasha as her sword was sheathed.
"Grab the arrows you idiot!" Inuyasha snapped and she rolled her eyes before doing so, "Also, what's the deal with the building?"
"It's in good condition and close to the village," Kagome shrugged, "it's a good halfway house, with a sturdy roof."
"Man, why do you have to be so strange?" Inuyasha griped before looking around the building and cursing.
She had a point. She put the quiver around her waist and tested the string. It was weak, and needed replacing. Her shot was going to be off. She let out a yelp as she was placed on Inuyasha's back. The ride was jostled, and she knew that her aim was going to be further off. She then noticed that his shoulders were tense. She spared him a quick glance.
"We ain't letting it get away," Inuyasha growled.
"Right," Kagome agreed, "I can only say that my aim is going to be off due to the bow itself, so don't get on my case."
He simply scoffed as she notched an arrow and drew it back with a practiced grace. He heard the string straining and gathered it didn't have much left in it. He jumped up and she loosed the arrow. It missed, barely grazing the crow on the wing. He made a strange sound.
"Damn your clumsiness!" Inuyasha cursed, "It's transforming."
"Drop me near the bridge, you'll go faster without me on your back and I can help the villagers," Kagome stated.
He snorted and did as she said. Her dark hair flew into her face when he took off, faster without her on his back. She huffed quietly before noticing that the crow had grabbed onto a small child. She took off in a sprint, easily maneuvering around the villagers standing about. She caught the tail-end of a whisper of her being like Kikyo. She clenched her jaw at that. She truly doubted that she shared the same soul of the woman. It was more likely that they were distant family. She narrowed her eyes in thought as Inuyasha sliced through the crow. She didn't even take off her tabi before diving into the water. She had to fight against the current of the water, but she was eventually able to reach the boy.
"My lady! This is simply unheard of for a human!" Saya stated as he reappeared on the top of her head.
"What? Swimming is that unusual?" She asked in confusion as she began to swim back to the riverbank where the child's mother was frantically pacing, "Odd seeing as humans have been swimming for thousands of years."
"My precious Shokichi!" The woman exclaimed as Kagome brought her boy back to her, "Thank you, Lady Kagome."
"I'm just glad he's okay," She softly said before noticing something on the bag of the boys shirt, "can I borrow someone's bow?"
A villager handed her a bow that was fairly good condition. She grabbed an arrow from her quiver and tied what had been on the boy's shirt. A piece of the crow that was still twitching. The thing was still alive. Inuyasha watched as the crow came out from the water in one piece, it's sleek black feathers turning a blood red as it continued to transform. He sneered slightly at the teenager as she brought the arrow back and aimed with a steady hand. Her eyes narrowed before widening as she released the arrow, letting it soar through the air. He could almost feel the holy power from where he stood as it turned a blinding blue before striking the crow.
"She's a priestess," a child whispered in amazement as they stared up at the dark-haired teen.
The crow's body began to glow brighter, and Kagome brought a hand up to shield her eyes. Something was wrong. A bead of sweat went down her face as the glow grew before splitting and firing off into all directions. That was never a good sign. She scratched the back of her head before sighing as Inuyasha landed next to her in a crouch. Even he seemed unnerved by the sight of all the different lights. He turned to face the other teen and she was staring above them in a way to avoid looking at him.
"What did you do?" Inuyasha questioned.
"I think…I might've just broken the shikon-no-tama," Kagome replied in a strained voice before handing the bow back to the villager she had borrowed it from.
"You what?!" Inuyasha asked and she winced at the level of his voice before walking north.
She was following a strange niggling sensation in the back of her head, one that had nothing to do with Saya grasping onto her still wet hair. The sword spirit looked around in worry before grasping onto the dark strands with a tight grip. He may be the bravest of the three of his late master's servants, but even he didn't like danger. He looked down as his current master knelt and picked up a small sliver of a jewel. The pink colour lightened to the point that it seemed white and Saya was almost amazed at the purity shining from it.
"That can't be what I think it is," Inuyasha grumbled, and Kagome let out a sound from the back of her throat.
"It is, I used the crow foot to make sure that the arrow would hit," Kagome explained, "it did, right in the stomach where the jewel was…shit."
Kaede looked at the two as she wrapped up the girls stomach a second time, checking on the stitches she had to do. It was healing wonderfully, and a part of her knew that came from her priestess abilities. She placed a healing salve on the bright red wound. Kagome winced at the cold gelatinous salve as it touched her warmer skin. It couldn't compare to the glare that Inuyasha was sending her. She pointedly looked away from him and towards the farthest wall. The jewel breaking and scattering was all her fault, not his.
"I can't believe you broke it," Inuyasha groused at the girl and Kaede watched those blue eyes narrow in response.
"It wasn't on purpose!" She huffed, for once sounding like her age.
"The jewel fragments have been scattered all over, I'd say," Kaede stated getting their attention, "it may have broken into ten pieces, or a hundred, but even a single fragment in the hands of a strong warrior or demon could be the beginning of a great disaster."
"That really didn't make me feel any better," Kagome muttered as the old priestess wrapped the teen's wound.
"It wasn't supposed to," Kaede stated slapping the wound slightly and causing the girl to let out a sound of pain, "the two of you must combine your powers to collect the fragments of the shikon-no-tama, and return it to normal."
"You sure you want her around me? I'm one of the bad guys after the jewel, remember?" Inuyasha reminded the old woman.
"It can't be helped," Kaede stated.
"I need a moment, please excuse me," Kagome sighed, "I think I'll check the old temple once again and see what I can do with it."
Kaede let the girl go, knowing that she could easily take care of herself. The old woman would never leave her hut, but would check on the temple every so often to make sure it was ready for when they came back on their journey. She could only imagine what was going through the girl's head. She tossed a small log onto the fire and watched as it was slowly engulfed by the flames.
Kagome kicked a broken shoji door out of her way. The place wasn't in the best condition as she had previously thought, but it would have to do. She refused to live off Kaede's good nature. It didn't sit right with her, and she knew that her mother would agree with her. She paused in the action of picking up a piece of wood with her bare hands. Her mother. She felt the tears as they started to obstruct her vision. She missed her mother. She tried to wipe away the tears, but they kept coming. A sardonic smile appeared on her face. At one point in her future, she was going to have to leave her childhood home, yet she was scared. She was so attached to her family that it scared her to leave them behind like she had.
"Stop the crying," Inuyasha's gruff voice stated, and she tensed slightly.
"Right, it's not like it's going to help me any," She muttered as she brought a hand up and wiped at her tears, "have you come to gloat, or are you going to help me with the debris around the temple?"
"Feh, why should I?" Inuyasha asked.
"Well, it'd be a home for you as well."
Inuyasha paused in his next taunt at the complete honestly in her voice. He watched as she picked up a broken shoji door and looked at it before deeming it in good enough condition to keep. He could almost see the cogs turning in her head as she thought about what to do with the vacant temple. The village hadn't used it in years, allowing the plants to almost consume it and bandits to inhabit it. It made sense to him for her to move herself into it, she seemed the type. She picked up another door and gave it a strange look.
"How many doors does one place need?" She muttered in thought before looking at a wall, "Breaking down that wall would give it such good feng shui."
"Good what?" Inuyasha found himself asking.
"Feng Shui, it's the practice of placing pieces in a living area to create balance with the natural world," Kagome answered, "sometimes breaking down a wall and help with the energy in a place. It would also open it up to more light…maybe it's my cultural differences talking."
"You might be onto something," Inuyasha admitted, and she smiled slightly, "what do you want with such a big area anyway?"
"I like having a lot of space and this temple has plenty of small rooms for people to sleep in due to the monks or priestesses that used to reside here," She pointed out before moving towards the wall, "I need to make sure it isn't a support wall, otherwise it'll bring down other parts of the temple."
Inuyasha didn't know why he listened to the other teenager, but Kagome welcomed his help as they studied the wall. It was decided that they'd take it down before fixing a few of the shoji doors to create some form of privacy for the rooms. Kagome knew that he followed her because of his instincts. Those that were of a dog background, or even a wolf, had followed her while she was in charge of the souls in hell. She was an alpha according to them, and seemingly flawless in her pack mentality. She still didn't know how to react to being told that she was like an animal. She looked at the knocked down wall and nodded her joy at it being gone, it did open up the area even more and made it more welcoming. She could even use the left-over wood for repairs or even firewood. The temple needed more work, but she was sure the two of them could get it done during the night, she'd call it bonding while Inuyasha would call it free labour.
"Just admit that you like having me around," Kagome found herself teasing the other teen.
"Not likely, you act so weird!" Inuyasha snapped, breaking a piece of wood with his hands in his aggravation.
"Likely story," She huffed in amusement as she cleaned up the floor with a makeshift broom.
A part of her wondered how changed history would be if she was able to bring cleaning supplies with her from her time. Not very. For her to be able to come back then she would have to have done so in the beginning. She winced as she began to give herself a headache thinking about it. It was too much for her at the moment. Time travel was confusing at the best, and inane at the worst. Time seemed to stand still as the last of the main room was cleaned up and the two of them put up the shoji doors, staking claim to their own rooms. The furthest away from one another with six more left open.
"Oh goodie, I was left a small dagger and some hair," Kagome mused before looking out the shoji door and at Inuyasha, "what about you?"
"You don't wanna know," Inuyasha stated his shoulders tensed.
"You're probably right if that's your reaction," She stated, "need any help cleaning it up?"
His scoff was the only answer she got. Sure, Inuyasha was helping her out for a place to stay that was far enough away from the village that they'd be left alone. But he wasn't going to be friendly with her, not that she blamed him. She went back into the main room to see that Kaede was looking around with a keen eye. She quickly moved to make a small sitting area and a fire that was off the ground. There was no firepit in the main area, but there was a kitchen. It was still in need of cleaning. Kaede welcomed the soft cushion to sit on, even if it was filled with dust and nearly deflated her tired bones were in heaven. Kagome sat down near the woman and waited for her to talk.
"I believe you should be trained to use your miko powers," Kaede stated as she placed a pot of stew down as the teenager boiled the water for tea.
"I agree, I'm used to the So'unga but not my miko abilities," Kagome said as she kept an eye on the kettle.
"My master is quite powerful in power but lacking in control," Saya stated as he came out of the sheathe.
"This is Saya, he acts as a seal on So'unga if it is ever parted from me," Kagome explained as the spirit gave a polite bow towards the elder priestess, "he's quite knowledgeable where I am not."
"You lack control," Kaede bluntly informed the teenager and Kagome's eyebrow twitched, "that and you have little to no awareness of the laws that govern us."
"I agree," Kagome muttered and Kaede grasped onto the teens cheek and pulled, making a strange sound come out of her.
Inuyasha plopped down on the ground and ignored the two, much to Kagome's amusement. She poured the hot water and waited for the tea to steep before serving it to Kaede. Her tea serving skills were still passible as the woman in question nodded at her actions. It was a nice night to enjoy one another's company and Kaede stayed within the old temple that night, for safety reasons.